Scammers target farmers, ranchers with fake livestock and equipment listings

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Panhandle agriculture advocates are warning about fake listings on social media platforms that are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The scams are targeting farmers and ranchers across Texas, selling equipment and livestock that do not exist.

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas Farm Bureau spoke about the problem, which uses social media and artificial intelligence to carry out the scams.

In multiple cases, ads for popular livestock — including replacement heifers, bottle calves, bulls and horses — show pictures taken from ranches as far away as New Zealand.

Victims are convinced to wire deposits or down payments reaching thousands of dollars to hold the animals.

When buyers travel to the listed address to pick up their purchase, they find out the location does not exist and the seller is gone.

“Just everyone remember, I know today’s a new day. Everybody’s on technology, but there’s still nothing better than a handshake and a face-to-face conversation when you’re making a deal. It’s always better to do that than over the phone,” said Zack Altman, Texas Farm Bureau.

Officials say once a fraudulent payment clears, banks rarely cover the loss, leaving victims entirely out of luck.

Officials advise buyers to never pay sight unseen and to always physically inspect livestock and equipment in person before closing a deal.

“AI has gotten very well, and some of these images are very hard to choose like yes or no. And that’s where they’re getting a lot of people. And they’ll tell you, ‘Okay, if you want it, give me this much down and I’ll hold it.’ And that’s where a lot of the scamming comes in,” Altman said.